Apart
by Cerebrate
Summary: When Bakura accidently splits Yugi and Malik's alter egos into solid matter, the unthinkable happens! What will the gang do now that Bakura is unconscious and won't be awaking anytime soon?
1. Spliced

Disclaimer:

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Author's Note: I've been writing for other anime recently, but I've decided to try another series. This will be my first story listed under Yu-Gi-Oh! There is some profanity and will have mature themes in the beginning. In the middle is a lot lighter with some humor and the mature themes will reappear near the end. I know I have not stuck very well with the actual story line, but oh well. 

APART

Chapter One: Spliced

By: UNKNOWN

            Yugi narrowed his eyes as smoke blew through the air. Through the hazy gloom, Bakura's malevolent silhouette was a mere sketch of black. The faint glow of his Millennium Ring shone through the haze like how a bullet would go through a man. Yami Malik was kneeling on one knee to Yugi's right. He held his rod to support his weight in his weakened state. The rod beamed faintly as it struggled to regain energy from the darkness. 

            _Every second I stand here… I feel like I'm being torn apart from the inside out!_ Yami Yugi looked on from the depths of the Millennium Puzzle. 

/Perhaps you should let me take over now./ 

Yugi nodded, and he was instantly replaced by Yami Yugi's form.

            Yami Bakura's eyes narrowed as his ring jerked and pointed towards Yugi's puzzle. 

            "Yugi…" Yami Bakura whispered. 

            Yami Yugi lowered his head. He shuddered them screamed in anguish. The millennium symbol flashed on his forehead and his eyes went dark.

            "Damn Malik!" Yami Bakura whispered. 

            Yami Malik approached from behind Yugi, his rod held defensively. He grinned and pointed to Yami Bakura. "Kill him…kill that bastard!"

            Yami Yugi's face contorted with fury and anger. The millennium symbol on his forehead grew brighter. The shadows of the Shadow Realm grew darker. The haze swirled back and forth and an eerie silence filled the air. Yami Yugi yelled out in pain and anger, and threw his hand forth.

            "Mind Cr-" he began.

            Yami Bakura laughed. "That won't work on me this time Pharaoh. You see…"

            Yami Bakura held his ground as to not be inverted. His ring flashed and the magic was dispelled into the air. 

            "You see, I am no longer affected by your powers. But let's see you take this!" Yami Bakura said deviously.

            All five pointers raised and glowed brightly. "I probably cannot kill you, but I can kill your host by ripping you out temporarily!"

            /Yugi! He's going to expel me from your mind temporarily so he can kill you! We've got to switch so he sends you out instead!/ 

            "Shit!" Yami Yugi cried, his mind breaking free of Yami Malik's control. His puzzle glittered dimly, then Yugi reappeared.

            Yami Bakura noticed this only too slowly. "Damn! His host appears! I- I can't fire now! Grr…!"

            Slowly, Yami Bakura began to restrain the ring's energy. Yami Malik's left arm was slashed deeply- he was weakened due to a massive loss of blood. He was still sane though- he was laughing madly. 

            /Yugi! Switch again! Bakura is distracted!/

            "Damn you piece of shit!" Yami Bakura yelled. The constraints on his ring broke and the energy he had erupted. As Yugi and Yami Yugi switched, the energy slammed into them, sending a tingling electrical sensation through them. 

            "Ugh!" Yugi yelled.     

            "Ugh!" Yami Yugi yelled.

            Yami Malik shielded himself with both his hands in front, his Millennium Rod thrust out threateningly. The energy enveloped him easily. His scream of pain and amusement filled the air.

            Yami Bakura was flung twenty feet away from his starting point. His body slammed against a nearby wall and he went unconscious. 

            "Bakura!" Téa yelled.

            The gang was standing around a giant dark cloud of shadows in the center of Domino City. A duel between Yugi and Bakura had been interrupted by Yami Malik. By then, the trio had been engaged in a Darkness duel. As with Pegasus at Duelist Kingdom, any one without a Millennium item was unable to penetrate the bending folds of the shadows. 

            Tristan, Joey, and Duke came running over.

            "What happened to him?" Joey asked.

            "I dunno," Téa replied, "but I think we need to get him to a hospital…again."

            "Guys! The smoke is clearing…!" Tristan warned.

            "What?"

            Tristan, Joey, Duke, Shizuka, Téa, Mai, Kaiba, and Mokuba gathered around the clearing arena. 

            _Huh. Yugi…you'd better still be standing. If you think you're that good of a duelist..._ Kaiba smirked. He seemed to have problems with focusing on the troubles of things. His mind would always wander off to duel- related topics. 

            "Yugi!" Joey yelled.

            The smoke had shifted away and Yugi was lying on the floor, moaning. His shirt was partly ripped and he had cut marks all over his arms. His wavy bangs limped weakly to the side. Nearby, Yami Malik lied in quiet. He was cut in dozens of places, but he didn't really seem to care. A piece of glass stuck in his neck plate. He sat up and picked up his Millennium Rod, which was lying behind a pile of rocks.

            "Yugi!" Joey repeated.

            "Ha, ha , ha!" Kaiba muttered. Everyone turned. 

            "What's up with you?" Mai asked.

            "Look at you Malik! So weak and puny now! The only times you were strong were the times you hid behind a fake name and brainwashed people to be you slaves! For taking my brother Mokuba, I'll take some personal revenge now and kick your ass."

            Kaiba stalked over to Yami Malik, who hadn't seemed to have heard a single word from Kaiba. Joey dragged Yugi back towards the gang. Kaiba walked over and dealt Yami Malik a chop to the back. 

            Yami Malik grunted and he collapsed. Then he began to laugh. Softly at first, but it steadily grew louder. 

            "No one teaches me my place," he laughed, returning to his feet. He let his robes fall to the floor. He turned to the group, revealing his scarred back. 

            "See these marks? They were carved into Malik's back when he was ten. That's when I was born- through not only the mental weakness of his mind but the hatred and anger living within him. A simple punch won't do much."

            "Yugi!" Joey yelled.

            The group turned again, and this time so did Yami Malik. The evilness still lingered within his eyes but it was apparent that he would not take action.

            "Yugi!" Joey yelled again.

            Yugi's head lifted slightly to stare at his blonde friend. "Yeah?"

            Joey pointed his finger at the Millennium Puzzle. Everyone's eyes followed the pointing digit. "Where's the other half?"

            Yugi's eyes went wide and he finally mustered the strength to erect himself up. Tristan and Joey held on to both of his arms. "The other half?"

            Yugi's eyes searched across the dusty floor, expecting pieces of the puzzle to be revealed. 

            "The other half… where has it gone?"

            "Fear not, Yugi," a voice called. "I have it."

            Everyone turned. An eerie silence filled the air. Even Yami Malik had nothing to comment on. The only thing he could do was tighten his grip on the Millennium Rod.

            Joey looked back from Yugi to the newcomer. He repeated this a few times before his head started to spin.

            "How did this happen?"

            Yami Yugi stood smugly before the group and concentrated his eyes on Yugi. 

            "Yugi… I have become my own being. My own real body. No longer am I merely a sorrowful spirit in search of a host body."

            "You were never that," Yugi whispered pitifully.

            Yami Yugi smiled. "I have to admit though… I don't think I've ever seen anyone as courageous as you. Well, except for the times that Joey could've gotten himself killed in vain."

            He winked at Joey and Joey went red.

            "Hey! We don't have time for stupid chit- chat! Not only do we have to figure out how Yugi and the Pharaoh got split, but we also have to figure out how the hell this could've happened!"

            Téa turned and her eyes went wide. Yami Malik was pulling another familiar figure out of the rubble. 

            "Malik?" Téa asked.

            Once again, a shuffle of feet and everyone turned to Yami Malik. Yami Malik blasted the rocks to bits, then dragged Malik to the group. 

            "It seems that I have been separated from my host as well… but that's a good thing. Now I can do everything that this idiot tried to stop me from doing before."

            Yami Malik made a move to leave, but Yugi grasped him firmly on the shoulder.

            "Who the-?"

            "Malik… you've got to stay. I know… that somewhere in that… d-dark heart of yours, you've have to have… some sympathy in there for… the normal Malik. After all…without him, you wouldn't even e-exist."

            "Shut up you asshole! No one tells me-"

            Yugi looked up at Yami Malik again, his eyes filled with determination.

            Yami Malik stared into his eyes for a while, then turned away. He jammed his Millennium Rod into the soft earth and sighed.

            "Let's just get one point straight. I'm only doing this for my own good and when I get back into Malik's body…" He trailed off.

            "I have one guess," Yami Yugi started. "When we were in the Shadow Realm, I was pretty much battling Yami Bakura on my own. Yami Malik had been cut by his own rod. When Yami Bakura threatened to rip me out of Yugi and kill Yugi instead, I told Yugi to switch with me so he would be sent out temporarily. Apparently, this move caused Bakura to freeze. But he couldn't hold his energy in so I suppose when I wanted to switch again, it hit us right between our switching phase."

            "That doesn't explain anything about what happened to me! What happened to me, damn it! I wasn't about to transform or anything!"

            "Shut up Malik," Kaiba muttered. 

            Yami Malik turned to Kaiba, his dark cloak sweeping behind him. He approached Kaiba, his eyes lowered threateningly. The Millennium Rod flashed and was at Kaiba's throat in the blink of an eye.

            "See this rod? This is how I killed Malik's fucking father. If you're not careful, I might do the same to you."

            The rod was lowered and Yami Malik stepped back.

            Kaiba stayed quiet.

            "What's going on?" Shizuka asked, clearly still confused.

            "Don't worry," Duke said, wrapping one arm around her shoulder. "This problem will fix-"

            Tristan grabbed Duke by the arms and pulled him back.

            "I told you not to touch her!"

            "I was trying to encourage her!"

            "You were flirting with her!"  
            "No I… shut up!"

            "Both of you, quiet!" Yami Yugi snapped. "We need to focus here. How are we going to reform?"

            "Why don't you ask Bakura?" Yami Malik asked.

            "Uh… that's a little difficult to do since he's unconscious," Mokuba stated.

            Yami Malik ran over to the knocked out figure. "Damn that idiot! He faints at everything! Even fainted when he cut his own arm!"

            "Come on guys, we'll need some more time to figure this out. Let's head back to Yugi's grandfather's game store."

            Meanwhile, Malik gave out a grunting noise. _Have I been freed? Is my other character finally gone?_ Malik stood up, his white hair splashing over his shoulders. He shook his arms and jumped up and down, testing his movements. _I don't believe it! I defeated him without Rishido! I guess I'm not so dependent on him after all. I-_ Malik's thoughts paused as he watched Yami Malik approach him. 

            Malik went up to Yami Malik. "…You look awfully alike. You got the same chains… same scars… same earrings…" Malik jumped. "How'd you get out?"

            "Psh. How the hell should I know."

            With a casual shrug, Yami Malik shook off Malik's pitiful comments.

            "Hey! Don't just shrug me off like that!"

            Yami Malik turned in anger. "What should I do? I have no idea how the hell this happened!"

            "Come on guys!" Joey called. "We're headed to the game shop!"

            "Grandpa! I'm home!"

            Grandpa, who was busily amusing himself by placing cards into plastic wrappers, looked up. "Oh. Hello Yugi- I see that you've brought some friends."

            "Uh… yeah. Grandpa, meet the "other" Yugi… or Yami as we call him."

            Yami came forth and looked down at the gaping Solomon. Solomon's eyes darted quickly from Yugi to Yami, then again. 

            "You and Yugi… does Yugi have a long lost twin brother?"

            "Unfortunately, no. I am the spirit of the puzzle…"

            "Hey! Pharaoh! Shut your trap and let's try to figure out a way to reassemble ourselves."

            Yami turned and almost menacingly narrowed his eyes. "All right Malik… then we will go."

            Grandpa gaped again. "Now there are two of those guys too! And what happened to Bakura? He looks a bit dead…"

            "Well, this guy here is Malik. And this is his alter ego… who doesn't really have a name. For the time being, let's just call him… Marik."  

            "Marik!? What the hell kind of name is that?"

            "It's simply a 'l' replaced by a 'r'."

            Solomon rubbed his fingers on his temples then sighed. "Well, I guess I'll have to live with two kids now. What a nightmare."

            "So where are you guys going to stay?" Téa asked.

            Malik grunted. "I think I'll just stay at my sister's place… in a hotel, I think."

            Marik laughed. "So naïve…well, I'll be off sending people to the shadow realm to increase my already immense power."

            "I think you're arrogant," Joey stated.

            "Shut up."

            Kaiba snickered. "Well, if you guys are done chit- chatting, I think Mokuba and I will be leaving now."

            "No one asked you to stay so sure, go ahead and leave."

            Kaiba looked hurt. "All right… let's go Mokuba."

            "Good night guys!" Téa yelled.

            "See you tomorrow!" Joey, Tristan, Duke, and Shizuka yelled back.

            "…" went Mai.

            The entire gang parted and left Yami and Yugi standing in front of the pizza shop. An eerie silence passed between the two.

            "Well aibou… I'm finally out of your body."

            "Yeah."

            "Your grandfather might be worried. Perhaps we should return home now."

            "Yeah."            

            Yami and Yugi cut their way through a park to return to the game shop. On the way, their ears perked up a lot of screaming and laughing.

            "That must be Marik," Yami said.

            "He's so insane I think I'd mistake him for Bakura."

            Yami smiled. "Yeah."

            "Ishizu! Ishizu!" Malik called.

            Ishizu's slim figure popped out of the open window. "Yes Malik?"

            "Do you think I could stay here a while? I don't have anywhere to go."

            "Sure… hold on while I open the door."

            "'K."

            The door made a couple of scratching noises until it finally opened. Ishizu looked at Malik and asked," Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with your Rare Hunters?"

            Malik waved his hand. "Nah. I'd rather disband those idiots than keep them. Last time I told them to get me a deck of cards they returned with a banana split. Apparently the leader of the group had extreme mental disabilities."

            An explosion rocked the street and Malik fell into Ishizu's arms. 

            "What the hell?" Ishizu asked.

            "Oh no…"

            Ishizu and Malik appeared around a corner to see a cloud of smoke along with a laughing Marik above. Two kids groaned at his feet.

            "Marik!"

            Marik turned to the call of his name. "Ah, Ishizu and my annoying counterpart. What brings you here?"

            "I don't think you should be out here all night killing people. Besides, you might get arrested."

            "Psh. That's why I have the shadow space to prevent anyone from seeing me. But if you're so worried, I think I'll stay at your place," Marik replied, pointing his chin at Ishizu. "Besides, I am a bit hungry."

            Malik snorted. "Yeah, you wish. No way in hell I'm going to live in the same house with you. It's bad enough sharing a body with you."

            Marik glared back, his spiky hair waving in the wind. "Well it's too bad you stupid jackass. If you don't like it I'll send you to the shadow realm too."

            Malik was about to protest, but then he fell quiet.

            "…that's good. Now what do you have in the refrigerator, Ishizu?"

            Ishizu made no sound or movement.

            "Uh… sis? Marik is talking to you."

            Ishizu grabbed Malik by the collar and dragged him around the corner. 

            "Is that your alter ego?"

            Malik nodded dumbly.

            "How- when did he get to separate from your body?"

            Malik shrugged. "Bakura did something."

            "Where's Rishido?"

            Another shrug.

            Ishizu sighed in disgust. "All right Malik. You and… Marik stay in my hotel room while I go find Rishido. I don't want you guys messing up anything! There's plenty of food in the fridge for Marik."

            "Sure."

            Marik placed a hand on his hip. "Such an organized woman, isn't she?"

            "Whatever."

            /Aibou. You can't sleep can you?/

            //No. I'm worried.//

            /This thing will work itself out. Besides, it might even be fun having two of us./

            //I'm more worried about Malik and Marik. They can't really stand to be with one another.//

            /Well, tomorrow is a school day… have you studied for the test tomorrow?/

            //…I'll just ask you for the answers.//

            /Yugi…/

Yugi's snores permeated the room. In the next room, Solomon slept with a pillow over his head, trying to block out Yugi's snores and Yami's strange talking in his sleep. Finally, Solomon woke up and angrily began pounding on the wall.

"Hey! Yugi or Yami! Would you stop making so much noise! I'm trying to sleep here!"  
            His command was answered by a jumble of Egyptian phrases and snores mingled together in a sound that no human would ever make.

"Yeah… I'm worried about Yugi too. Who knows what will happen between Yami and Yugi. Well, I got to go. See you tomorrow Téa."

"Really? I'm worried about Yugi too!"

Joey fell off the couch he was lying on. "Tristan? How the hell did you get into my house? And why do you have all those cuts on your face?"

Tristan grinned. "Well… I was following Shizuka through the park until she went into the house. She opened the door and it closed behind her. I guess I wasn't paying attention because I walked right through the door."

"What? My door isn't that cheap."

"It felt like it was made of paper."

"…so you got paper cuts from it?"

"Sure, why not? … can I see Shizuka now?"

"What? Get back to your own house you horny bastard!"

Tristan frowned. "Did you study for that test tomorrow?"

Joey gasped. "Oh crap! … well, I'll just ask you for the answers."

"Joey…"

"Now shut your trap, get on your feet, and start moving out of my house!"

Tristan began whistling and took a seat by Joey on the couch sneakily.

Joey removed a carefully placed bat on his bookshelf.

"I hit my 100th home run with this bat. I wonder what it could do to your ass…"

"Gee, look at the time!" Tristan yelled. "Time sure flies by when you're having fun!" Tristan hopped up and ran out the broken door."

Shizuka came down from the stairs in her pajamas. She rubbed her eyes as she asked sleepily," Who was that, brother?"

"You don't need to know. Tell dad to buy some tools tomorrow, okay?"

"Um… what for?"

"To fix something that an idiot broke down. Anyway, good night Shizuka."

"Good night."

            "Ugh… shouldn't you be going to sleep Marik?"

            Marik sat at a large green sofa, watching a game of baseball.

            "I don't see what you people find so entertaining about this sport. All you do is see how far you can hit a ball."

            "And run the bases too!"

            "Shut up, you dipwad."

            The door clicked open and Malik jumped. Ishizu's head popped in, looking confused.

            "Did I scare you Malik?"

            Nearby, Marik laughed hysterically. "That moron is scared of everything! He couldn't even beat up this puny bully when he was little!"

            Ishizu grinned. "Laugh all you want, but take a look at this!"

            From behind her back, she whipped out a half- sleeping Rishido. His head bobbed up and down and his ponytail swished back and forth.

            "Oh please, he can't send me back to Malik's body."

            "Well Rishido… would you like to go back to the mental hospital now, or stay here?"

            "I don't belong in the mental hospital! I don't even know why they put me there in the first place!"

            "Probably because they saw those cuts on your face and guessed that you did it yourself!"

            "So different from Egypt… I'll stay here Ishizu, thanks."

            Rishido grabbed a bag of chips and walked off into a vacant room. Ishizu took another look at Malik and Marik, who were fighting over the remote.

            "Uh, guys?"

             Marik and Malik turned.

            "You guys might have to enroll in school… I think it's the law here."

            "What? I learned pretty much all I wanted when I was a Grave Watcher. No way I'm going back to school."

            "You might meet new friends."

            "Friends! Friendship is a weak force! You could count on your friends all you want but in the end, only you could do what you want best."

            "Uh-huh. Nice quote."

            "I didn't quote it. I made it off the top of my head. Enroll Malik in school. That asshole is stupider than a pile of shit on the road."

            "But Marik…"

            "Enroll Malik, damn it!"

            Ishizu sighed, then turned and walked off into an empty room. Malik crossed his arms and glared at Marik.

            "You have a serious problem with attitude. I'll be having fun at school, while you're off doing… whatever you'll-"

            "Killing people. Yeah, yeah, go and have your 'fun' little boy. See you tomorrow night."

            Malik reached for his Millennium Rod, then let it settle back into the strap of his pants. He stepped back into the shadows of the room and let Marik watch television for the rest of the night, his laughter constantly ringing throughout the silent room.

            Well, that's one chapter done with. Next chapter will show how Malik deals with going to school, while Yugi contends with living with Yami. Marik will be off killing people, but what happens when Malik is in danger? Malik and Marik will be building up their friendship slowly… that is if Marik can throw aside the hatred in his heart. Bakura is still unconscious so don't expect to hear from him for a while. Anyway, please review!


	2. Bereft

Disclaimer:

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Author's Note: Wow… it's been a long time since I've even looked at this story. Well, sorry for the long delay, for those guys who care. Well, I've been screwed over and over again by homework and procrastination, but I figured I had enough time to start this story again. 

APART

Chapter Two: Bereft

By: UNKNOWN

            A bright and cloudless sunny day greeted Malik Ishtar as he rose from his small bed. Fumbling his hair away from his eyes, he sat up and hopped off the bouncy mattress. Malik opened the room to his door and found Rishido sitting at a table, while Ishizu was apparently cooking.

            "Good morning Master Malik… did you sleep well?"

            Malik looked down at his scarred companion. "Yeah… don't call me master. You're not my slave or anything"

            "I was your father's servant and therefore I serve you," Rishido replied, his eyes drooping down to the newspaper in his hands.

            Malik shrugged. "Fine… whatever you want."

            Malik's senses were awakened by a sweet aroma of breakfast as Ishizu plopped it down on the table. 

            "Looks great sis."

            Ishizu smiled. "Yeah, especially for my first time making breakfast."

            The trio ate quietly and the only sounds breaking the dead silence was an occasional chirping of a bird.

            "So…" Malik said, raising his head from his plate, "where's Marik?"

            Ishizu shrugged. "When I woke up this morning he was gone and he left a nasty surprise in the living room."

            Malik gulped down the rest of his breakfast and entered the living room behind him. Rishido followed his gaze as he entered the room as well. Apparently, something had upset Marik and he had thrown his Millennium Rod at the television stick. Shattered glass marked the point of impact.

            Malik gulped. "I've got to convince him to stop destroying things! I've got to destroy the fence that bounds his evil… mind."

            Ishizu sighed. "Do what you wish Malik, but I'm afraid school starts for you today."

            Malik gaped. "W-what? School…school?"

            Rishido smiled. "Ishizu signed you up yesterday at night. The attendance office had no paperwork to do and they processed your transcript quite quickly!"

            "Damn!"

            "Now, now Malik, school is a privilege you must not take for granted. Take the backpack over there- it already has your lunch and school supplies in it."

            Malik walked over to the backpack slowly. "And where exactly is this school?"

            Ishizu grinned. "That's the beauty of it all- the school is only two block away so you can walk there!"

            "Shit!"

            A flying slipper hit Malik in the head and forced him out of the apartment building.

            "Yugi! Yugi!"

            "…"

            "Yami! Yami!"

            "…"

            "Get up you two lazy mules and come down for breakfast!" Solomon shouted.

            "I'm up Grandpa!" Yugi replied sleepily.

            The sound of footsteps running down the stairs filled Yugi's ears as he was about to take his first bite of oatmeal. Turning so he could see the stairs, Yami's figure appeared from the shadows, wearing clothes obviously made for an elf.

            "Yugi," Yami started, "these clothes are constricting my ability to inhale oxygen!"

            "Just take off the shirt then. Besides, I've got to be going to school now. Bye Grandpa!"

            Solomon waved goodbye as he watched Yugi's shadow disappear into the distance. Turning around, he saw Yami reappear from the stairway with the same clothes Yugi was wearing… only bigger.

            "Well… Yugi's at school… what will you do?"

            Yami thought for a while. "Perhaps I will look around this area, as I am unfamiliar with many of the places. But first, let's talk Duel Monster cards."

            Solomon sighed and shook his head. "Always with the Duel Monsters."

            BRIING!

            "Ah, Yugi! That's the bell!" Joey commented, once again stating the obvious.

            "Yeah. We should be getting to class now," Tristan agreed, supporting his dimwitted friend.

            "'K," Yugi replied.

            As they entered the classroom, their ears were met with the sudden blast of loud chatting and yelling. Students were still studying for the upcoming quiz and others were just fooling around.

            "Quiet now children!" the teacher yelled.

            No one listened and a paper airplane smacked him in the face.

            "I said quiet!"

            The chatting continued and the teacher looked pissed.

            "SHUT UP!"

            The chatting instantly died down and every student took their seats. The teacher smiled in satisfaction and began to pace back and forth down the rows. The look of pleasure on his face could only scratch the surface of the feeling he got from managing to control his class.

            "Today," he began, "we have a quiz."

            Many of the students groaned.

            "But, we also have a new student! Everyone please welcome Malik Ishtar."

            Everyone turned to the door where a heavily tanned boy stepped into the room, draped with blond white hair drooping down his ears, and a pair of piercing violet eyes.

            "Because of our unexpected guest, we will have to postpone the test until a later date-"

            The class broke into a cheer but the teacher silenced them.

            "So instead, we will have a quiz on Egypt, where our lively friend has arrived from!"

            "What the hell!?" 

            "Silence! You have learned this material before! It is only natural that you be tested again on it to refresh your goldfish- like memories!"

            "So… are you satisfied with your set of cards now, Yami?"

            Yami looked down at his new deck and grinned. "Yes… I feel so… powerful."

            Solomon rubbed his forehead. "I thought you would never finish."

            Yami glanced at the clock above the card racks. "I should be visiting the town now. There is so much I wish to see."

            "Yes, please do. I need some rest."

            "But before I do, I must take the procedure Yugi calls 'showering'! I believe it makes the body more pleasant smelling and clean."

            Solomon groaned as he watched Yami run up the stairs once again.

            "Ha ha ha!"

            Marik gloated as he watched his opponent sink to the floor.

            "Fool. And he was so confident about his deck."

            Marik reached down and grabbed his opponent's duel disk and inspected the cards in the deck.

            "Crap…crap…crap…boy, crap just keeps on coming. Screw it."

            Tossing the useless cards into the gutter, Marik kicked the lifeless body once and left it to rot.

            "Ah so this is the place my counterpart calls America… the land of the free." Marik grinned. "It should be land of the weak for all I've seen. Ha ha ha ha!"

            Marik walked off into the horizon, his cape fluttering aimlessly behind him.

            BRIING! 

            Joey leaned back in his chair and yawned. "Boy that was one hell of a test, huh Yugi?"

            Yugi nodded and checked his answers once more before turning it in.

            Malik walked over to the trio and looked down at them. 

            "I hope you guys aren't mad at me… I didn't realize that my appearance here would give you guys such a hard time."

            Tristan winked. "Ah, it's okay Malik. That test was pure bullshit anyway. Want to come hang with us in the mall?"

            Malik began to nod, but stopped himself short as he remembered his oath to stop Marik.

            "Sorry Tristan, but I'm busy. How is Yami coming along, Yugi?"

            "Oh, he's a little weird but I think he's getting accustomed to the real world now."

            Just then, Téa popped up from behind Joey and smiled happily. 

            "Come on guys! Let's get going!"

            Joey nodded in agreement. "All right, let me pick up Shizuka first, and I'll meet up with you guys."

            "I'll call Duke and maybe Mai, too."

            Téa was about to leave when she noticed Malik looking glum, staring at the feet of his peers. "Are you coming, Malik?" Téa asked with her sweetest tone.

            Malik looked taken aback, then his expression softened as he replied, "I'd love to but I've got to set Marik straight."

            "Oh…" Téa stated in a concerned tone. "I guess… if that's what you want to do."

            Malik nodded, then watched as his peers exited out of the door and out of sight.

            "Hey punk."

            "?"

            "Yeah, you. Egyptian boy- I'm talking to you."

            Malik turned. What was it now? He hadn't even left school grounds yet and someone was asking for trouble.

            "Yes?" Malik asked in a quiet voice.

            "I think some of us would like to have a few words with you, concerning a little quiz we took today."

            Malik looked around and gulped. Four massive giants, each towering over Malik and glaring down at him with laughter in their eyes. Malik grabbed for his Millennium Rod in his back pocket, but his hands closed on nothing. _Fuck! I left my Millennium Rod somewhere near my bed!_

            Backing away from the four bullies who were now cracking their knuckles, Malik was in for a pain he had not felt in a long while.

            "What's that quiz to you anyway?" Malik stammered, hoping to buy himself some time.

            One of the giants replied. "Well you see, I'm on the football team and failing this quiz will make me ineligible for playing- and I'm one of the starters!"

            _How boring this place can be… no where to go, nothing to do. _Marik stopped short as a large building came into view. _A large structure with children… and what appear to be instructors… a school? _Marik stepped onto the cool green grass of the school lawn and began crossing its path. About halfway, he spotted a circle of students huddled around another group of kids. Apparently, a fight was starting.

            Marik smiled. _American kids fighting…?_

Marik forced his way through the crowd and ended up in the front row of the fight. Upon viewing the combatants, he barked out laughing.

            "Ha ha ha!"

            The crowd diverted their attention to the demented spirit, while Malik backed away slowly.

            "Malik? In a fight? Ha ha ha!" Marik crowed.

            "The hell…? These two guys look exactly the same…except their eyes…" 

            Marik's laughing stopped shortly. "I'm glad to see that you have the ability to notice differences."

            The bully seemed taken aback. His slow brain worked hard to process the insult being passed to him. When he finally interpreted the message, his face flushed red with anger.

            "All right punk. We'll jump your ass first, since your so cocky."

            Marik cocked his head to the side and grinned deviously. "Cocky? Me? Ha ha ha ha!"

            All four giants lunged at him, their fists flying forth. Marik whipped out his Millennium Rod, the Eye pointed forth. Instantly, the four students were lifted off their feet and hurled to the school wall, restrained by an invisible aura.

            "Ugh," one commented. "My chest…my heart… I can't move!"

            Marik laughed. "Idiots! Should I unscramble you all like a jigsaw puzzle or simply sacrifice you to the Dark?"

            Another bully grunted. "Screw you… we'll kick your ass when we… get out of these bindings!"

            Marik's grin quickly became a frown. Narrowing his eyes, he lashed out with his Millennium Rod once again. 

"Go to Hell!" he yelled.

            Instantly, the four students began to scream in pain. As their bodies twisted and contorted itself, the bodies finally collapsed onto the floor in a heap of steam.

            "Ha ha ha!" Marik jeered, surveying the carnage. "How boring…"

            Turning around, he began to walk away from the scene, only to find Malik following him.

            "What do you want?"

            "I…I just wanted to tell you thanks for standing up for me."

            "You? I acted upon my own free will and killed them by my own decision. Don't you usually cry when these things happen?"

            Malik smiled. "Not today."

            Grabbing Marik around the neck, Marik's eyes rolled with disgust as he tried to pull his weak counterpart away from him. 

            "All right, I get your point. I'll be good if you promise to never do that again," Marik declared.

            Police sirens were heard in the distance and the sounds blotted out the soft reply that Malik gave. Marik sighed as Malik hugged him tighter. 

            "Fuck…"

            Yami twisted and turned his head as he looked in bewilderment at the new sights he saw. Ice cream parlors, ice cream trucks, candy shops, book stores, bowling alleys, fast food restaurants…

            Yami stopped his walking and stared up at the sign. It read: Burger King. Burger King? Yami thought to himself. _If Burger King is the name of this shop, then it must indeed be the king of burger making! I think I shall try one out for my own enjoyment_.

            Entering the Burger King, Yami looked around the area. Most seats were empty and napkins lay strewn across the floor. A lady in a red hat looked at him expectantly, so Yami walked up to her and cleared his throat.

            "Ahem! * cough * I'd like to order a burger."

            The lady stared at him. "And…?"

            Yami seemed taken aback. "And? What do you mean? Make me my burger!"

            The cashier turned and pointed at the menu. "See, we have many different types of- "

            "Make me my burger!" Yami yelled. Without Yugi, it was getting really hard to control his own temper.

            The cashier reappeared a few seconds later with a small round package, then handed it to him. "That'll be $2.75"

            Yami took the burger and unwrapped it. He began to eat it, then slowly began to walk out of the restaurant, savoring the flavor.

            The cashier yelled, "Hey come back! I said 'that'll be $2.75!"

            "I'm eating a $2.75?"

            "If you don't have the money to pay for that I suggest you stop eating! Security!"

As the cashier approached Yami, another taller, stronger figure walked with her. On a silver plate attached to his chest, it read: Security

            Yami stood his ground as he thought of Yugi's memories. Apparently, security guards were used to uphold order in smaller areas.

            _What did I do wrong? _Yami thought as he took another bite of his mouth watering $2.75 burger.

            Ha, well I thought that was a funny ending to this story. In the next chapter, Yami visits the rest of the town. See how he gets out of this mess and how he gets into many more! Well, please review!


End file.
